U.S. House speaker backs role for Congress in debt limit increases

WASHINGTON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday he opposes any effort to do away with the role of Congress in approving increases to the federal debt limit.

“I think there’s a legitimate role for power of the purse and Article 1 powers,” Ryan said, referencing a section of the U.S. Constitution that gives Congress its powers.

President Donald Trump asked congressional leaders at a White House meeting on Wednesday whether the need for periodic legislative raises to the debt ceiling, which is the federal government’s borrowing limit, should be eliminated. (Reporting by Amanda Becker; Writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Frances Kerry)